Enoch prouty



(No Model.)

, :E.-PR.0UTY.

POWER TRANSMITTING MECHANISM FOR CARS.

No. 469,717. Patented Mar. 1, 1892.

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UNIT STATES PATENT OFFICE.

,ENOCII PROUTY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND EDIVIN J.NOBLE, OFSAFIE PLACE.

POWER-TRANSMlTTlNG MECHANISM FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,717, dated March 1,1892.

Application filed July 17, 1891. Serial No. 399,815. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ENOOH PROUTY, a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois,

5 have invented a new and useful Improvement in Power-TransmittingMechanism for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements upon the apparatus fortransmitting i power from a motor to the axle of street-cars heretoforeinvented by me and patented in Letters Patent N 0. 443,608, datedDecember 30, 1890. The principal object of that invention was to providemeans whereby the driven axle could be started gradually by power from acontinuously-moving motor. I find that itis highly important in anapparatus of this nature that there should be no lost motion in theoperation of the clutch, espe- 2o cially when the transmitting devicesare at a very short stroke, as when the car is being started; and it isthe purpose of the present invention to provide means whereby the clutchwill be made to operate positively Without any slipping upon theshortest ossible stroke; and also, further, a method of attaching theclutch rods or pitmen to the transmitting-lever in such manner that theendwise movement of the axle in its bearing 0 in the running of the carwill not interfere with the operation of the transmitting devices. Thefirst of these objects I accomplish by means of a clutch consisting of aring secured to the axle and having its inner sur- 3 5 face fitted toreceive friction-pawls, which are at all times held out firmly againstsaid ring by springs, so that when power is applied to the pawl it willinstantly grip the frictional surface of the rim, no matter how shortthe stroke or movement may be, all of which will be more fullyhereinafter set forth, together with certain minor features ofconstruction pertaining to the device. The second object I accomplish bymaking the transmitting-le- 5 ver cylindrical and the connection betweenthe same and the pitman-rods in the form of a cylindrical sleeve,whereby the car-axle is free to move slightly endwise in eitherdirection Without bringinga strain upon the clutch,

the rods, or the lever.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,and in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of a street-carsufficient to illustrate 5 5 the apparatus and its method ofapplication. Fig.2, upon a larger scale, is a View of the clutch, shownpartly. in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig.2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4 4: of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 ahorizontal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

In said drawings, A represents a car-axle. B is a ring mounted on theaxle and having a smooth internal face, as 13', forming the frictionalclutch-face. In order that this clutchring may have a free connectionwith the axle of such nature that a partial revolution of the axle in abackward direction may be permitted without causing the clutch-ring torevolve with itas, for example, when the car settles back when standingstilland to permit of slight variations in the respective speeds of theaxle and clutch-ring, as when the momentum of the car is suddenlychecked, I provide that the connection between the clutch-ring and theaxle shall consist of a lug on the clutch-ring, which encounters a lugon the axle. The lug on the clutch-ring is shown at O and the lug on theaxle is shown at D, which latter lug has a transverse screw-bolt (Z,that may be screwed in or out to come in contact with the lug 0 when theapparatus is in operation or which maybe withdrawn out of. contact whenit is desired to disconnect the motor from the axle, as where the carsare to be hauled upon occasion by horse-power.

As the ordinaryaxles in use are rough, I provide as a bearing for theclutch-ring the two shouldered sleeves E F, which are keyed to the axle,as shown at Fig. 3, and construct the ring with the bearings G G, formedof the hub of said clutch-ring. Mounted on the clutch-ringare the twooscillating blocks H H, held in place between the rim and the hub 5 andfurther secured by a shoulder from the sleeve F. To these blocks, bysuitable wristpins h, are connected the connecting-rods J J, attached attheir front ends to the vibrating transmitting-lever K. Upon the blocksH H are pivotally mounted the wedgingpawls L L. The pivotal connectionbetween blocks, as shown in the drawings.

the blocks and said pawls in the drawings is shown to consist of arounded socket in the block, in which rests a similarly-rounded end orbase of the pawl. Each pawl is provided with a spring M, placed betweenthe block and the pawl and tending to hold the pawl out and back againstthe ring with considerable force. Now it will be seen that when thevibrating lever K moves toward the axle both connecting-rods J J will bepushed and their respective blocks H H oscillated in oppositedirections, and it will be also apparent that in the case of the block Hthat its movement will cause the pawl L to wedge between its block andthe rim, causing said rim to be gripped to the block and to move with itto the extent of its oscillation, while at the same time the other pawlL moves in the opposite direction, yields upon its spring, and slidesalong the ring. When the connecting-rods, on the other hand, arepulled-forward, the action is reversed, the pawl L sliding and the pawlL gripping the ring, producing thus a a double-acting clutch. Thisclutch is extremely quick and sensitive in its operation, there beingpractically no lost motion whatever, so far as the grip is concerned,that is produced upon the clutch-rim. Indeed, I have found that theclutch thus constructed promptlyresponds to so short a stroke of theconnecting-rods as one-eighth of one inch. In the practical operation oftransmitters of this character this feature is exceedingly important, asit enables the car to be started in a slow gradual manner while themotor is running at full speed, and avoids all jerking action, such asis produced where there is any lost motion or slip between the two partsof the clutch.

In order ,to furnish a means for reversing the operation of the clutchto run the carbackward, I sometimes duplicate the pawls by adding anextra one, as at L L to each of the Of course it will be understood thatthis extra pair of pawls is not in operation at the same time as thepair originally described, but only brought into operation when themotion of the car is to be reversed. A bolt N, threaded centrally to theblock, is used for holding either one of the pawls of each block out ofaction, as desired, while permitting the other pawl to move. By screwingthis bolt in one direction or the other one or other'of the pawls may bebrought and held in against the-.block and out of contact with the rim,while its neighbor is permitted to press out against the ring, and viceversa. The forward ends of the connecting-rods J J are hinged to thesleeve P, which slides upon the vibratory transmitting-lever K, whichlatter is pivoted at its lower end and is vibrated by a pitman from thecrank of the engine or motor. The sleeve P is supported on the rod Q,which is attached at some distance back to the bracket P. to thehand-lever R. By operating this handlever the sleeve P may be raised orlowered upon the vibratory lever K. The lever K is made cylindrical incross -section and the sleeve P of the same shape, so that the latterwill swivel upon the lever freely, which permits the sidewise movementof the car on its axle to take place without disturbing or cramping themechanism.

I claim 1. The combination, with the axle A, of the ring B, having thehub G and shouldered bearings in the collars E F, said collars, theoscillating blocks H H, and the spring-held wedging pawls L L,substantially as specified.

2. The reversible clutch composed'of the inner faced friction-ring and ablock oscillating concentric therewith, having two oppositeworkingwedging-pawls, combined with means for throwing one of the pawlsout of position while the other is at work for reversing the operationof the clutch, said means consisting of a bolt passing through the twopawls and the block, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the car, the motor, and the clutch operating onthe axle of the car, of the vibrating transmitting-lever madecylindrical in cross-section, the cylindrical sleeve mounted to slideand turn on said lever, and the connecting-rods extending from thesleeve to the clutch, substantially as specified.

ENOCI-I PROU'lY. Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, EMMA HACK.

A link 0' connects the rod Q

